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PFC - Philanthropic Foundations Canada

October 2011 E-newsletter

Letter from the President

Our fourth biennial conference was certainly worth waiting for. Almost 300 people, including a terrific turnout of PFC members, met over 2 days in downtown Toronto at Changing Philanthropy: New Visions New Voices. Our thinking was eloquently challenged by our plenary speakers, Susan Berresford, Susan Raymond, His Excellency the Governor General and National Chief Shawn Atleo of the Assembly of First Nations. We were encouraged to think creatively, to “skate to where the puck will be”, by Susan Raymond. We were exhorted by Tim Brodhead to remember PINJAM (Philanthropy Is Not Just About Money). We were reminded of the visionary and collaborative spirit of our history by the Governor General and the National Chief, both of whom spoke of the original dream of Samuel de Champlain. We were impressed by the innovation occurring on the ground in Toronto’s front-line organizations and neighbourhoods through our site visits. And there was much lively discussion in the hallways and session rooms as speakers made their points and told their stories. 

How can we possibly share it all with you? We are starting by posting the full text of the plenary speeches on the PFC website. And many of the speaker presentations are available to conference participants and to PFC members, with a password. Video clips will be posted soon. And we are working on a conference report that will make full use of all of your feedback and input, which we sought out this year through the conference blog, comment cards, and surveys. There were many excellent suggestions and comments made to help us plan for future conferences. 

Next year, we will be organizing a shorter symposium event, in October 2012 in Montreal. But we know that PFC members really appreciate the biennial conference format, so we will start working on the next two-day event very soon. Details on when and where will be forthcoming!

A few other notes as we look at the rest of 2011:

Thanks again to all who came, participated and shared their work in Toronto. It was wonderful to see you all. And I look forward to welcoming those of you who I didn’t see in Toronto at the next PFC gatherings in 2012 and beyond.

Hilary Pearson
hpearson@pfc.ca

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Grantmakers Roundup

Canadian Voluntary Sector Compensation 

As you may recall, there was some discussion in Parliament before the last federal election on legislation that would set limits on the compensation of charitable sector leaders. It was evident from this discussion that there is not much information available to public policy makers about compensation patterns in the sector. While Canada Revenue Agency will be furnishing more detailed information on salary ranges and compensation ranges of charity leaders through the expanded T3010, beginning with 2010 data, sector employers must otherwise rely on private studies conducted for specialized populations, such as the survey of compensation conducted bi-anually by PFC on behalf of its members. The next such PFC study will be conducted in 2012. 

In the interim, a new survey conducted by CharityVillage® has collected data about nearly 1,200 Canadian charities and nonprofit organizations and more than 16,000 employees. The 2011 Canadian Nonprofit Sector Compensation & Benefits Study delivers detailed information about compensation in Canada’s nonprofit sector including cash compensation at all levels of employee, from junior support staff to chief executives; performance incentive plans; employment benefits, ranging from dental plans to free parking spots and rates of compensation within different sub-sectors, such as social services, health and arts and culture. One interesting fact to note from the survey is that across the country, executive directors and CEOs in the nonprofit sector earn, on average, $88,740 in cash compensation.

The survey report can be purchased from Charity Village at a cost of $97. 

 

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Interesting Reading 

On “Diaspora” Giving 

There is very little known about the cross-border philanthropy of some of Canada’s major donors. These donors are immigrants to Canada who have decided to give significant funds in their countries of origin (as well as to their communities in Canada). The current issue of The Philanthropist takes on the challenge of shedding some light on this form of philanthropy with the most comprehensive look yet at what we know about such gifts. The lead article Diaspora Philanthropy and Civic Engagement in Canada: Setting the Stage, written by Krishan Mehta and Patrick Johnston (formerly of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation), focuses on how immigrants are giving back to both their adopted and their birth countries. The article specifically examines the role of Canada’s new immigrants in charitable foundations and volunteerism, a vital component of philanthropy, and concludes that this expanding field is one that will have more and more implications, both for recipients and for Canadian policy makers. Other articles examine South Asian philanthropy in Canada, and engaging ethno-cultural communities in civic action.

 

On Good NonProfit Management Ideas

Maytree has just published a terrific compendium of good ideas to support nonprofit leaders in their work. Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success (Coach House Books, 2011) is based on Maytree’s long-running speaker series, Five Good Ideas. Alan Broadbent, founder and Chair of Maytree, says in his introduction to the book: “Over the past eight years, Maytree has hosted lunch-and-learn sessions on a wide range of management-related topics. The topics result from our ongoing canvass of people working in community-sector organizations. We ask them a simple question: what do you need to know to help you run your organization better? Good management is important everywhere. But it is especially important in the community sector, which operates with much complexity, often high stress and few resources… Five Good Ideas is a way for sector leaders to begin to think about the important elements of the range of skills they must perform. They rarely have the luxury of time to dive deeply into each area, but they can be well-served by being exposed to what some of the best thinkers and practitioners consider the top ideas. The Five Good Ideas.”

 

On Resilience

The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation has just published Resilience, a 49-page document written by Tim Brodhead, the retiring CEO of the Foundation, that sets out the emergent thinking underlying the Foundation’s grantmaking work over the past two decades, and summarizes its major initiatives. For the Foundation, “granting programs have not followed a blueprint. A strategy that began as implicit has progressively evolved from a focus on change to adaptation to resilience. Most of this has emerged from the experience of our partners or fellow travelers, the so-called grantees, upon whom we depend for ideas, knowledge and fundable initiatives…[the Foundation concludes] In a world that is increasingly unpredictable, interconnected and facing complex social and environmental challenges, ensuring that Canadians, and Canada, are resilient is the greatest guarantee of our future prosperity and well-being.”

 

  A Conversation about Philanthropic Strategies

For more on the approaches of Maytree and McConnell, you can listen in on a conversation recorded at the 2011 Maytree ALLIES Mentoring Conference in Calgary. Alan Broadbent of Maytree and Tim Brodhead of the J.W. McConnell Foundation shared their insights on the benefits of scaling up programs to have greater impact, and pointed out the possible perils we should avoid in building successful collaborations. The 30-minute conversation was taped and is available online. 

 

  

PFC Family News and Events

New on the PFC web site: The 2011 Conference program and plenary speeches are now available. Some of the session presentations are also accessible (via password), for conference attendees and PFC members exclusively. 


Upcoming Events


PFC Publications, Reports & Stories

 

Member News

The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation have provided $1.3 million to MaRS Discovery District in Toronto to create the Centre for Impact Investing. The Centre will build upon the work of MaRS and Social Innovation Generation (SiG) and is intended to be a national hub to further the awareness and effectiveness of social finance in tackling social and environmental problems in Canada. The Centre will also act as a point of global connection for Canadian efforts in impact investing. Its function will include the delivery of programs and initiatives focused on research and policy; market and product development; and education and engagement initiatives aimed at mobilizing private capital towards public good. The Centre is expected to open for operation in early Winter 2011. 

 

The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation has announced a new program, the Inclusive Local Economies Program, which will work with people and organizations to develop long-term strategies that create sustainable economic opportunities and generate wealth for low-income people and communities in Toronto. The Program will have two components, an open Opportunities Fund to call for original ideas and compelling approaches that lead to meaningful economic inclusion, and a pilot initiative called Resilient Neighbourhoods. An information session about the new program will be held on Thursday, October 27th from 9:30 – 11:00 am at the Wellesley Institute, located at 10 Alcorn, Toronto (Summerhill Subway station). To register for the session please contact Heather Dunford. 

 

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Other News and Events

Webinar, October 27th, from 12-1pm EST, the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing is holding an educational webinar on impact investing for institutional investors/angels/philanthropists/advisors. The webinar will feature Patrick Gleeson, CEO, Meyer Family Enterprises – a family office including a family foundation based in Napa Valley, California, that is shaking up traditional investment and philanthropic models and R. Paul Herman, CEO & Founder, HIP (Human Impact + Profit) Investor Inc. – a leading investment manager providing investors, and their advisors, with guidance, tools and portfolios that increase the level of impact investing. 


Webinar, October 27, 2:00-3:30 pm EST, Joining Forces: Funder Collaboratives for International Projects, GrantCraft will host a free webinar to explore how funder collaboratives can help international grantmakers aim for larger goals, distribute risks, learn together, and achieve greater impact. Produced in partnership with the Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group, the discussion will be moderated by Foundation Center President Bradford Smith and will feature speakers from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Firelight Foundation, New Field Foundation, and the Wallace Global Fund.


Recent Interesting Blog Posts (from our colleagues at Philanthropy Australia)

Bradford K Smith, president of the Foundation Center, looks at the use of grants versus social investment and the role of the market in tackling poverty. 

Salvatore LaSpada, CEO of the Institute for Philanthropy, provides ten concise due diligence practices for would-be funders who are in the process of sizing up a philanthropic opportunity. 

Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has joined Twitter and posts about her reasons for doing so. 

 

Upcoming Conferences

 

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